Fight For Me
by vampout
Summary: Eliot will do anything for his team. Anything. Oneshot!


**Fight For Me**

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything, all the brilliant characters belong to the writers and TNT'S Leverage. **

**Rating- T for blood**

**Set some time during Season 3**

**Enjoy!**

There's nothing Eliot wouldn't do for his team.

That startling realisation came to him during a con, a con gone bad... very bad.

More importantly the revelation had hit him right when Parker's wide eyes had turned to him in fear. It hit him so hard that he rushed forward, pushed her out of the way and took the bullet intended for her, right in his chest.

It hurt, just like the last time he'd been shot. Contrary to what most people believe he'd only been shot the once, but that was more than enough for him to realise he didn't want to again.

He could feel the bullet scrape across his ribs as it lodged itself in his left lung. He could hear his breath hitch and the white hot pain as he stumbled and managed to stay upright. He wanted to fall to the ground, lay back on the cool cement and say _screw it, maybe now was just your time Spencer. _

But the man still had a gun. Parker was still in the firing line of said gun and there was no way he was going to lose her, not to some goon with a freakin' _gun_. No one took his family; no one took his crazy little sister. She was _his_ crazy little sister.

He glanced down at her shocked expression and he gave her one of _his_ crazy smiles. The smile he reserves just before the enemy thinks they've got him beat. _Yeah he's as crazy as hell, just like her, he's not ashamed to admit it. _

"Put the gun down." It came out raspier than normal and with a slight 'bubble' to it as his lungs breathed in blood. The goon stood there, burly looking man with a gun that looked way too small. He shook his head, raised the smoking barrel of the gun at Parker and in the process, signed his own death warrant.

Shoving the pain aside, burying it deep within him, he ran forward, spear tackling him to the ground. It was a sloppy move, but it was just a miracle he was still functioning. He'd worry about his technique later.

With a growl he let the animal come out. The creature scratching at the walls of his control, begging, biting, roaring to get out. Fists flew, jabs, kicks, hell he even used a piece of broken pipe. A few of the goon's hits landed, enough for a split lip and a cut above his right eye, but the animal won out. The goon wasn't even recognisable anymore. He might have been breathing, he might not, but Eliot couldn't bring himself to care.

His breath came in wheezing gasps and he coughed, blood spluttering everywhere.

_Yeah, he got a lung alright. _

Two hands tugged on his shoulders. He hadn't even realised he'd still been uselessly beating the man until the simple contact.

He stilled.

He coughed.

He locked the animal back up in its cage.

And he let himself be pulled back by warm comforting hands.

"Nate. Blood. Lots of it." he heard her hiss out, dragging him back and then falling down in an ungraceful Parker like move. She pulled his head onto her lap, clearing some of his hair from his face and he saw her chin begin to wobble. Crystal like shimmers in her eyes began to form and he thought it was fitting that she cried diamonds.

"It's 'kay," He choked out, "...be ... fine."

"You didn't have to do that." She frowned, pulling her confused face.

"Course ... I did." he coughed again and he could taste the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. "Some ones... gotta... look after... ya."

She wiped more hair from his face and he closed his eyes briefly, comforted by the movement. Blackness was coming, it wanted to take him and he thought he might let it. He was going to, he'd done what he had to, but it was the sob that forced him to come back. A gut wrenching, throaty, heart-breaking sob. Those diamonds had turned to real salty tears and they were flowing heavily down her cheeks. "No one's ever looked after me." she blubbered out, "I do stupid things some times... this was my fault I shouldn't have... I would have... I wanted to fly from the roof, that's why I took the stairs."

"It's 'kay Parker."

"No." She hit his shoulder rather forcefully and the jolt it caused made the pain ignite by a thousand. She didn't apologise and he wasn't even sure if she realised she'd done it. "You look after me." she sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "I _need_ you to look after me. You have to _keep_ looking after me."

He tried to tell her she had people that would do that for her, that she had a family now but he couldn't quite manage the words.

"Stay." Her bottom lip quavered and she placed a hand on his cheek, "Please stay? Don't leave me like everyone else?" she breathed out unsteadily, "Fight for me."

Fight.

That word seemed to trigger something. _Fight._ That he could do. That's what he always did. What was one more fight?

"Stay?" she repeated, pleading with him.

"M'kay. I won't..." he rasped out, "...go nowhere."

And he didn't.

They repaired his collapsed lung, stitched his forehead and a month later he was back at work. They insisted he stay away for a while longer, Nate didn't think he should be out in the field yet, but he was stubborn.

He'd grumbled and growled through recovery, he was a pain in the ass and he knew it. Doctors kept their distance and a few nurses fled, but the best medicine for him to heal now was freedom. So they gave it, and he returned to his family, settling in back on Nate's couch as if he never left.

As Hardison flashed images up on the television and Nate started to formulate a plan for the next con no one but Eliot noticed Parker scoot a little closer to him. He pretended not to realise, but when she leant closer, for only him to hear and she whispered, "You stayed," and gave him a real smile, not a crazy smile or 'I've got lots of money' type of smile, but a real thankful, pretty smile...

He knew he'd take another bullet for her. For any of them.

They knew that. He didn't have to say it. "There's something wrong with you." He said instead.

She shrugged, the smile never fading. "Yeah, but there's something a little wrong with you too."

_fin_


End file.
